The Scent of Rain
by Chaeann Bourne
Summary: What if everything was a lie...what if Harry Potter was being used and his memories along with the rest of the world's memories had been changed. What if Tom Riddle wasn't Tom Riddle and people weren't what they were supposed to be. Harry has lost so much already but will he allow someone to take the only person he loves away from him in the end? Read to find out...
1. Prologue

The Scent of Rain

Prologue

Heads turned slowly as eyes dropped to the floor and tears flew steadily down cheeks. Had the world become so fickle with the King and Queen's death? "It smells of rain…I miss her Rodolphus! How could he betray them so easily! Tom how could the entire world turn against us? What has he done?" Her wild sobs are soon muffled by her husband's arms pulling her to him as he rocks with his own sobs.

"I don't know Bell but we'll fix this…the boy he still lives! He may think we are enemies but I will find a way to fix everything. I cannot let that bastard live with what he's done to my brother. I cannot allow him that pleasure…the pleasure to turn my own nephew against me. Perhaps the rain is a sign that we will one day triumph over this bloody fool and…avenge our King and Queen as well as our dear friends and family." A strength surfaces through those assembled as the Aurors that now believe them to be the killers of Lily and James Potter begin attacking the wards on the large stone manner that was slowly burning.

A small female steps forward with short brown hair and man follows holding tightly to her hand. They turn to the curly haired woman who is hardly containing her sobs. Smiling eyes turn to her through the small woman and she begins speaking quickly. "Bell they'll say you tortured us…but we all know you didn't. Be sure that Nev is given to Frank's mother will you? We'll assure that the castle will not be seen until the heir wishes it so. Go…go now and try to lead the Aurors away from here we'll stay. Take Sirius and Peter with you!" The curly haired woman tugs her cousin into her shaking arms and apparates away with him in a vortex of black. Others follow and the two smile softly before opening their magical core and allowing it to sweep over the castle. The walls crumbles against the force before a bright light sweeps over the lands leaving an open plane that would never be touch in its wake. In that moment the last remaining memory of the King and Queen is forever vanished from the Wizarding world until the Heir is of age to take throne.


	2. Chapter 1

The Scent of Rain

Chapter One

Harry's head hurt again. It wasn't the aching of his scar that he usually felt when Voldemort was up to no good…no, it was a burning that ran along his temples and allow the back of his head. His stomach lurches frequently and his eyes burned as if molten liquid was being poured into them. It had never been this bad and it was while he was in potions with Professor Snape no less. Clenching his hand against the desk He forces himself up right as the class clears and hisses through his teeth while the world spin desperately trying to pull him down. "Harry…Harry mate are you alright?"

Green eyes sway dizzily to the red blur at his left before Harry closed his eyes and his knees buckle. By sheer strength Harry's arms hold him up right as his stomach feels as if it's in his throat. "Sit down Mr. Potter…" Harry's eyes snap open wider than possible and his finger snap up to smash the glasses away from his face. His eyes seem to become greener and drip their color as he is pushed into a stool and figners clamp down on his temples and a forehead is pressed into his own. Harry's shield flare up pushing back at Snaps probing of his mind until Harry's lips part and a whimper leaves his lips. Harry's metal wards shatter and Snape is pulled into his muddied brain to sort out the disaster there.

In turn Harry is shifted into a safe place in Snaps mind causing a bubble of magic to form around the two so that no one can touch them. In Harry's mind Snape find himself to be in an actually human form oddly different from other times he's been within the minds of others. He was the same height and weight but his eyes were glossier, brighter one might say, and his hair was long and silken tied back in a long braid down his back which ended at his hips. Stumbling through the boy's mind he gently pushes asides small cubes which contain the boy's memories. The walls are white and yet it is oddly warm in the confines of his memories. Severus walks through the pieces picking up random blocks and studying them. As he reaches farther and farther into the boys mind the memories become hotter and they are tinged with more and more magic. Severus bends to pick up an oddly colored once only to hiss as the memory singes his hand. He snarls at the memory before stopping when he notices a bubble before him instead of bleak white walls. Walking cautiously forward he touches it and it shatters from old age. His senses pick up traces of Dumbledore's own magic. Slowly color seeps from around him and the memories that were once hot to the touch shatter and the entire world become colored like a normal person's mind. Small infant memories place a castle with beautiful walls and tapestries as well as dukes and duchesses that oddly resemble Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius Black, Narcissa Malfoy, and another man he can't point that looks oddly like James Potter but isn't him. He also sees a vision of himself as he is now laughing merrily with Sirius Black as they coo over the small child. Another memory is of a small brunette girl with big brown doe eyes and two humans that look oddly like the muggle parents of Hermione Granger. Frank and Alice Longbottom are also in a memory wearing royal robes with an oddly recognizable emblem on it. They are holding a boy. The entire place comes into view in a large pasture that sits along the coast of a mountain side that to this day is no longer built upon. It was beautiful with elegance that put Hogwarts to shame. Against the front was a shield with two Dragons holding up a coat of arms which was gold and had black vines snared around it.

During Snape's perusal Harry find himself in Snape's own mind which is muddies with times and places. Little tabs are hung on a large wall which holds knickknacks and other small things that are of importance to him. Harry walks silently along until he comes across a small hand held mirror with a lily engraved in the handle. Picking it up, Harry gasps when he sees his own reflection for the first time since entering Snape's mind. His hair was shorter and darker with longer strands in the front that stuck up every which way. His face was devoid of his glasses and he looked more mature than he would have normally appeared with them on. His green eyes were brighter nearly reflecting the small light around him. His skin was slightly tanner with a golden hue to it that he could only get from flying around a Quidditch Pitch for hours on end every summer. He wore his school uniform but it was more form fitting and better looking on him. Placing the mirror back down he continued on until he was stopped short when his eyes find a large black box that called out to him. Reaching out to the box he unlatches it and watches in amazement as the walls and room brighten showing a grassy field with a tree on the walls and a darken moonlight sky in the ceiling. Memories are scattered along the ground and the box showed different scenes of growing up with Lily, Harry's mother, and Petunia before going to Hogwarts with them where they meets James, another boy named Thomas, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. All of them looked different somehow and yet James teased Severus for a while until in fifth year when it got out that James was parading around as a normal kid when he was the heir to the wizarding kingdom. No one really talked to him except Sirius, who had known him for many years, Remus, Peter, Lily, Petunia, and eventually Severus. Thomas never stopped talking to him because Thomas was his brother. James really didn't like Dumbledore who didn't like the kingdom his father ruled.

Harry is snapped from Snape's mind and he returns to his own where he feels a gentle shift in his own memories. Small things flow through his mind that he really should know but does anyway. All the memories he thought he had lost because of Tom Riddle came rushing back telling him that Tom Riddle was actually Thomas Ridulo Potter the man that was his uncle and his Father's younger brother. He found that he looked the same in his own mind that he did in Snape's mind plane. When he saw Snape again in his mind he saw a man with Smooth features and long silken black hair without an inch of grease anywhere near it. The long strands were braided down his back and a few fell around his face as he stared down at a small box. "I boxed them away because Albus told me that Tom could find them easier if they were unorganized. I'm afraid it made it easier for him to manipulate my memories." Snape whirls nearly dropping the memory of Petunia cooing over a small green eyed baby with Lily at her side as they shopped for baby clothing.

Harry walks forward to stare at the man for a moment before picking up the memory and turning it over in his hands. Smiling he tosses it against a far wall that was completely clear and watches in amusement as the memory plays out with two magical Evan's girls.

_"Tuney, look won't Sev love this outfit for Luca?" The aforementioned Petunia turns holding a pair of baby shirts and a pair of baby boy jeans. Her brown hair which had tints of red in it wasn't as short as what Harry had once remembered it. It fell to her shoulders relatively straightly before curling at the ends with shorter pieces framing her face. Her face was much younger and her eyes were the same green as her sisters. They seemed happier to Harry somehow. She had a small set frame with an average sized bust but she was very obviously pregnant and pretty far along if Harry was correct in his assessment of her size. The scene switches over to a beautiful young Lily holding up a simple pink dress with lace overlay and a white bow around the center. _

_ The scene now shows both women with a small baby boy in a pram. "Oh Lily you're right Sev will love this. Despite his cold and dark exterior he's a sucker for little girls in pink. Luca will be so spoiled when she's born. Imagine what would have happened if you would have ended up with Sev instead of James? Thank-goodness that didn't happen, yeah? I never would have been able to deal with Sirius and all the duties that come with being the Queen you know plus I would trade my Sev for anyone." The two women giggle and then jump when Bellatrix Lestrange pops up folding a small jumper for a baby boy and another for a baby girl. The two women coo at the outfits being held up and hurry over to add them to the carts. _

_ "Bell you have such great tastes no wonder Cissa takes you shopping with her all the time for Dray. I wonder when you and Rodolphus will have one of your own." Lily raises a finely sharpen eyebrow and nudges the curly haired woman who blushes and chuckles quietly. "You're not pregnant are you Bell?"_

_ The dark haired woman gasps and begins laughing softly while shaking her head. "No…no Lily we're not having a baby. Rodolphus and I were thinking on it sicne Albus doesn't seem to be active any longer but he's still a threat and to have most of the women out of the battle wouldn't be wise as we all know the men can go a bit over board. Nymphandora is the only one who has yet to become pregnant aside from myself and she and Remus are too early in their relationship to have anything serious like that." The trio laughs quietly while the push Harry's pram around the store. _

_ After a few moments Petunia speaks up and the two other women look at her in interest. "Speaking of serious when will Sirius get a descent partner? For heaven sakes by now James will take his best mate being with a bloke over anything. The man will be single forever!" The two girls begin giggling and soon Petunia joins in as they enter into the women's section and find Narcissa Malfoy talking quietly to a small blonde baby boy who is aisles once more._

_ "Come now Tuney don't be so hard on Sirius…he hasn't been the same since Regulus died. We all know how hard it was for them when their parents died and all they had left was one another…nothing on Bell's family or anything." Bell nods softly and a faraway look falls onto her features as she remembers her aunt and uncle. _

_ They enter into the women's section and they see Narcissa Black, now Malfoy, standing cooing over a blonde haired boy in a dark green pram. The boy is giggling and reaching for his mother who looks rather beautiful with her dark colored hair that was the same shade as her sister's just less curly and wavier. _

_ "Cissa what on earth are you doing to the boy?!" The woman jumps up in fright and clutches at her chest while mock glaring at her sister before she begins giggling madly. "You're going to turn poor Dray into a momma's boy and we all know he loves his auntie Trixie the best!" The small blonde boy squeals and reaches for the curly haired woman before blowing a kiss to his mother. Everyone laughs softly before the memory goes blank._

"Tuney always was quite beautiful wasn't she?" Harry turns to Snape to see something along the lines of wonder crossing his features. "You look more like your mother without your glasses on Harry."

Harry offers a soft smile in his direction before catching the falling memory which he had just throws at the wall. Harry silently stares at it for a moment before placing it on a small stone shelf. His memories turn into books that fill the stone shelves and the area they are in turns into a sitting room with arm chairs and a large set of glass doors that formed an arch and lead to a balcony which over looked the sea. Harry settled into the dark grey armchairs and looks around the room. "Snape will we look different when we return to our bodies? Will the world have changed to the way I remember it now or will it all be the same and we'll be the only two to remember? Does Tom remember is that why he is after me so viciously?" The dark haired man, who is his Uncle and second godfather, settles into a chair across from him and sighs softly.

He brushes a stray lock of black hair behind his ear and begins speaking offhandedly. "I always wondered when I cut my hair too short to tie it back from my face and when I started looking so old. In any case I'm afraid that those around us will not know what we do and that we will have to fight to regain what we have lost. If it is true that Voldemort and the others are after you to protect you then they know what happened and are trying to fix things. This also means that it is highly unlikely that Bellatrix actually killed Sirius that night. We must plan this out very directly because if I'm being truthful I'd like to find my daughter as well as Tuney and make sure they remember me. If you wish for people to remember you such as the Granger girl then you will need to learn Legilimency as well as Occlumency." Harry nods simply and sighs softly putting his head in his hands.

"How did this all happen? How will we be able to restore everyone's memories as it is clear that no one remembers my mother and father being king and queen of anything let along Tom being my father's brother?" Tears of anger and frustration well in his eyes and he forces them down trying to push through it. His mind wanders to the elderly man that was the cause of all of this. Unbeknownst to the distraught boy the sea out the doors becomes wild and unruly. To stop his godson's wild fears Severus places a hand on his shoulder and offers him a gentle smile.

Harry looks up and wipes quickly at his eyes. They stare at one another before Severus kneels down in front of him. "Harry James Potter I will stop at nothing until my best friend is avenged. I will stop at nothing until my family is back with me. I promise you that we will find a way to fix everything. I will stand by your side until we fall if I must." Harry nods and stands as Severus does. They shake hands and Harry smiles softly before kicking Snape out of his mind and following the man out. Before he leaves Harry flashes a barrier around his mind that he knows through knowledge passed down due to his royalty. No one not even his own father would be able to break that barrier aside from Harry himself.

Harry blinks softly and stares clearly up at the ceiling of the medical wing. His figners reach up and he threads them through his short hair. Closing his eyes Harry pushes his body forward to sit up and sighs as his mind reaches for the connection to Voldemort that Dumbledore had inadvertently put in him. Feeling that it was still there he smirks and opens his eyes once more to look over to the bed beside him. His godfather, whom he now remembers, was laying on the bed with his cascading hair splayed out around him and his young features staring up at the ceiling. Silently Harry mutters a charm under his breath and reverts their looks back to what they had appeared like before. As he finishes and his magic finishes Snape's eyes flicker open and he sits up to look around and finally catch Harry's eyes.

"So…Bellatrix isn't crazy right?" Severus begins chuckling quietly and shakes his head before his shoulders begin shaking and he folds onto himself his face become younger just by simply laughing. "Severus I've charmed our appearances however I need to contact Tom and meet with him. Can you have them capture me or something….make sure if it's at Malfoy manner that Dray isn't there? He doesn't need to know yet." Severus nods softly signaling to Harry that he would listen to his command.

"That will give me cover to find Tuney and return her memory. I will tell Albus that we are obligated by law to tell your guardians that you have gone missing. We'll take her to Tom and then I can find Luca while you talk with him. As it stands I believe the first act we would take would be finding the castle again and bringing it back. We'll talk more I believe Albus is coming in soon. Go back to sleep and wake up again I'll charm your glasses to be useless." Harry quickly obeys his godfather and feels the man's magic sweep over him after a few moments. Harry hears shuffling and then Severus groans and shifts on the bed as the doors open. He huffs softly in Harry's direction as he looks at the boy acting the part perfectly. Harry groans and rolls onto his side to pat around to his glasses. He pushes them up his nose and looks around acting as if his sight was becoming less blurry. "Only you would knock two people unconscious with because of a migraine Mister Potter!"

The sneer on the man's face would have been believable had Harry not known that he was faking the entire thing to keep his cover. Harry sighs softly and turns away from his to stare questioningly at Dumbledore. "I'm sorry about this Professor Dumbledore. My scar was hurting and Professor Snape was trying to force Voldemort out of my mind and apparently we both were knocked unconscious." Dumbledore's eyes twinkle and he places a reassuring hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry suppresses the urge to shiver in disgust and merely offers a sad smile in return.

"Don't worry Harry…I'm sure Severus isn't too unhappy with you. You two should return to your quarter as I am sure you would like to get some sleep." Harry nods and stands before hurrying out and toward Gryffindor tower intent on contacting Tom through the mind link.

When Harry reaches the common room he's intercepted by many people and one catches his eyes. It's Ginny Weasely. Harry studies her face closely as she talks to him quietly while asking him if he was alright and if there was anything she could do for him. Her hair seemed darker than Ron's and her face seemed paler with less freckles. Her eyes were dark brown, nearly black, and looked nothing like all the blue eyed Weaselys. Sighing softly Harry pushes everyone away and trudges to his room stating that he was tired. Once in his room he closed the curtains to his bed and slide into it allowing his body to relax and drift into the sheets.

'_Tom…Uncle Tom please I need your help answer me!'_ Harry knew he was pleading and he knew that he would appear weak but Tom was the only piece of his family he had left and he was willing to risk being caught for his family.

_'Harry…you know…I'm so sorry that this has happened…please forgive me for everything I've done. We've been getting rid of Dumbledore's followers but it just makes us look evil.' _Harry was shocked by how normal and unsnake-like the voice in his head sounded. His mind conjured a picture of a tall man with tan skin and dark hazel eyes that appeared to look like his father just with light dusty brown hair. It was a memory of his father and Tom standing side by side laughing lightly about something while his mother was bouncing him softly. The memory moved like he was but Tom still looked like a human being. _'By you remembering we've been returned to our old selves Harry, those of us who remember that is.'_

_ 'Good…I was worried that Severus and I would be the only two to remember and that you thought you were evil. I'm glad I didn't have to force the memories out of you, Uncle Tom. Can we meet…set up a kidnapping of me with Cissa and Bell? Severus is going to try and bring Aunt Tuney back as well as find Luca. I have my ideas on where she is and I'll share them with Severus when I get the chance. Please help me…I've got to go Uncle Tom the others are coming back. Be safe and don't get caught. Goodbye…' _Harry would have been shocked by how caring he was being toward his supposed enemy but his memories told him how truthful they were about Tom Riddle being Thomas Ridulo Potter and that the man cared deeply for his nephew.

_'Goodbye for now Harry…be safe and be sure not to let Dumbledore do anything to you. I'll pass along some spell knowledge to you through the link be sure to use the detection charms before you eat anything.' _True to his word moments later knowledge of spells and charms float into his mind through the link as well as love and happiness.

Harry's bed curtains are gently pushed aside and a body shifts the mattress of his bed. Peaking his eyes open Harry stares lightly at Hermione who reaches forward to brush his long hair from his face with a soft and gentle hand. "I've been so worried about you Harry and I can't fathom the reason why…"

Smiling softly Harry captures her hand in a tight hold and tries to reassure her and himself that everything would be okay. Sitting up he hugs her tightly to him as she begins crying softly. Pressing his forehead to hers he places his hands on her cheeks and closes his eyes trying to comfort her in the only way he's known how for as many years as he's known her. Without his knowing Harry slips into her mind as they stand there and gently calms her down while keeping them both awake this time. Hermione, having felt the gentle probing of her mind, doesn't fight it and simply lets Harry physically and mentally calm her down until she's partially asleep. They both appear in her mind's eyes moments later and are in for a great shock at what they see and find.


	3. Chapter 2

The Scent of Rain

Chapter Two

Harry finds himself standing on the stone step of a path that wove down to a sunset colored beach. The first part was pure white sand devoid of anything and creating an isolated beauty like nothing Harry had ever seen. It suited Hermione perfectly aside from there not being any books anywhere but to Harry her beauty was isolated because there was no other person like Hermione Granger. As he walks further down the path he is stopped in his tracks when he finally sees her. She sat on a sheer outcropping of a large cliffs edge. She's wearing a white dress that billows well past her feet. Her chestnut colored curls twirled elegantly with the smooth wind and danced with one another as if they were a group of people swaying and waltzing in between each other. Her light brown doe eyes glistened with the light of the setting sun as the waves lapped at the hems of the white dress making it nearly see through. The back was longer than the front shown by her bare feet dangling in the breeze and glistening with the spray of the sea.

In that moment, if Harry wouldn't have known her or his past with her and what she was meant to be to him he would have found that she was the most beautiful creature in the world. Still in this moment knowing all of those things he somehow found her undeniably beautiful…perhaps angelic if you may. She was slender and always had been but here as her true self she was nearly completely thin had it not been for the curves of her bust and hips. It's like Harry had seen the sun for the first time and that before this moment he was a blind man. Stepping forward he brushes back the nearly translucent branch of a tree and walks up another path. This path leads him to the small cliff that she sits one so that Harry is standing directly behind a frozen Hermione. Being as close as he is Harry could tell that her body was frozen never moving. Perhaps this was the lock on her memories. Perhaps it was her.

Reaching a hesitant hand forward Harry places his hand on her shoulders and looks out to the sea. Soon motion moves through the tips of his fingers and he can feel her body shaking softly with sobs. Folding down beside her he wraps her in his arms surprising her completely with his presence. "Mione…you're safe now…I won't hurt you…I've never hurt you…" At his voice she turns in his arms and buries herself in his chest inhaling his scent greedily. Her fingers curl into his shirt before the tense muscles of her body relax and she becomes pliant in his arms. Hermione is practically lying in his arms but he wouldn't have it any other way.

Hermione finally looks up at Harry as he had been staring at the top of her curly head of hair for quite some time. Her doe brown eyes widen in wonder and awe as she traces his morphed features with precision. Finally her figners hesitantly reach forward to cup his cheeks in her dainty hands. Her thumbs rub under his eyes as she stares into them. To Harry, it's as if she was staring into his soul and looking for every piece of herself despite the fact that she already knew that he was hers. "You look so different…yet you look so much like my Harry that it's infuriating. You look more like the man I know you to be…" Her blush colored lips rise in a small smile of understanding and she rests her head against his chest lightly to trace patters on the piece of shirt opposite her hand. In Hermione's mind Harry was wearing Khaki shorts and a white bottom up shirt with the top two buttons undone. He was as barefoot as she was but his tan skin contrasted greatly with her pale skin…'_like the sun and the moon'_ Harry thinks idly. "What happened?"

Harry's figners don't pause on their circuit through her hair for even a moment as he presses a warm kiss to her temple trying to ease away her worry. "Mione…Dumbledore locked away all of your memories as well as everyone one else's memories and hide the fact that up until sixteen years ago there was no ministry of magic all magic fell under the rule of the King and Queen which were the Potter heir and his, or her, husband or wife. When I was one as well as when you, Neville, and Draco were one Dumbledore attacked my family and killed my parents before wiping everyone's memory and turning them against my Uncle by making them believe he was a dark wizard. He hid my Aunt, who was married to Severus, with some human under his control and made her believe she didn't have magic as well as took away their daughter Luca. He turned my best friend and I against one another by making me believe Draco was evil. He made Tom out to be this horrible man and gave him a completely different identity aside from the shy boy that Severus remembers him being. When Severus tried to enter my mind we were pulled into the mindscape of one another and then ended up unlocking the memories that were suppressed there. You were the suppressant in your mind." Hermione reaches up to brush his cheek with the back of her hand and watches in awe as his eyes slide to hers and hold such fire and intensity. They hold emotions that she had never seen inside of Harry Potter but always dreamed of seeing in the man that he would be.

"Harry…I believe I remember a great deal now. I've read the mythology about Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin, and Helga Hufflepuff being the original suitors to the first heir of the Potter family. It was spelled differently, your last name I mean, but it was the same name. I traced it back to your family. Your grandfather was Rowland Ridulo Potter right? He was married to a Peverell?" At Hermione's spout of knowledge Harry can only form a grin in response before nodding. "I'm almost afraid to ask but who are your suitors?"

At her weary face Harry begins chuckling softly and looks out over the horizon of the sea his lips pursed in thought while a twinkle of deviousness settles in his eyes. "I believe the heiress of Hufflepuff is Luca Snape, the heir of Gryffindor is Neville Longbottom, the heir of Slytherin is Draco Malfoy, and the heiress of Ravenclaw is one Hermione Granger." The deviousness twitches at his lips before he presses them to her forehead. "As it stands I'm not gay meaning both Nev and Dray are not options and Luca is my cousin so that is definitely out but I wouldn't have chosen any of them any way…not over someone like you."

A small smile graces Hermione's delicate features and she shakes her head before hugging him tightly. His figners twitch on her back for a moment before he hugs her as tightly to him as possible. "That's good Harry…because if you would have chosen one of them I might have had to kill them…I wouldn't give you up without a fight even if you were gay." They both chuckle lightly before Harry shakes his head and rolls his eyes. "What…what is it?"

"I'm afraid I have to cut this little visit short darling. It seems that it is time for us to wake up so that I can charm your appearance so no one gets too suspicious. Now I'm going to ease out of your mind and then wake you up. This won't be the last time we meet like this…" With that Hermione watches as Harry wavers as they both stand he reaches out and runs a hand over her curling hair before completely leaving her mind. Within moments she feels him shaking her lightly.

Hermione's eyes flutter open slowly and she looks up at the smiling yet somehow sleepy face of her closest friend and the man she knew she would spend forever with. Their destinies were sealed from the moment they were born and no amount of sympathy for Ron's crush on her would pull her away from him now. With a small chuckle Harry presses a finger to his lips before muttering a small charm. His magic washes over her and she relishes the feel of it on her skin. She can feel the frizz of her hair tickle her ear and she sighs softly before musing it up a bit.

"I'm going to go back to my dorm…and Harry I know you don't want Dray to get hurt because he's your best friend but it would be best if he knew. I've heard Blaise talking about him being more distant lately. You need to talk to him or get Severus to." With those whispered words Hermione presses her lips against his in their first kiss. It was a quick peck but it left Harry's lips tingling with the unspoken emotions and magic behind it. Her cheeks turn a light shade of pink before she turns and runs out of the room as Ron walks in running a towel through his hair.

"Morning mate…" Ron watches as Harry gets up and grabs his uniform while stripping down to his boxers. Raising an eyebrow, Ron turns to his best friend. "Where are you going mate?"

At Ron's startled question Harry turns and tilts his head to the side. "I have to go see Madam Pomfrey before breakfast so she can check on me. I need to shower though so I'll see you in potions!" With that said Harry darts out of the door and into the bathroom across the hall. Within the next five minutes Harry is running back out of the bathroom into his room and grabbing his textbooks before running back out leaving a shocked Ron in his wake.

When Harry is sure no one is following him he turns sharply and uses the secret passages as well as the Marauder's map he had discreetly snatched in his room to find Draco. He finally reaches the man and leans his hands on his knees panting heavily. "What in bloody hell are you doing Potter…and how did you find me?!"

Harry holds up a finger before straightening and pressing a hand to his head to try and control himself. He looks into his magical core and finds a small line of magic which he uses to probe gently at the blonde's mind. "Please Draco just let me in this once…it's really important and I swear you'll understand when I'm done." Harry watches in satisfaction as Draco visibly shutters before his walls break and he allows Harry entry into his mind.

Harry steps lightly onto a rock ledge with a steep passage down onto an even steeper rode. Everything was covered in a grey mist and yet there was no life in this place. The trees were dead and barren and there wasn't one animal or creature. In the distance Harry could make out the broken ruins of a tower that looked oddly familiar. He was sure, despite having no knowledge of this place, that there lay a castle beyond these dead woods. "It's been this way for as long as I can remember…" Harry turns a light eye to the man standing at his side and smiles softly at how he had change. The man was taller but not nearly as tall as Harry and his dark blonde hair had lightened into platinum blonde at the tips with darker blonde roots. His hair was longer now and the front of it swept over his left brow before stopping by his ears in small tuffs that mixed well with the wave his hair had gained.

"Come on Draco…I need to find something…" With that said Harry quickly walks down the path keeping time in his own mind on how long they had been in there. Slowly Harry walks to the ruins of the castle and finally understands why it was so familiar. This castle, in Draco mindscape, was an exact replica of the one his family lived in for thousands of years. Slowly Harry finds himself stopping and starring around at the disarray that was standing before him."This is my family's castle…Dray you never forgot did you or at least you have known for most of our time in school. That's why you trusted me so easily."

Harry turns his shocked green eyes to the grey eyed man behind him, which he remember having loved dearly as a brother would. "Your magic felt different...I…when my father took me to first meet Tom he broke the restraint on my memories and taught me how to come in here so I can try to fix the shambles Dumbledore left it in. I've nearly fixed everything but I can't for the life of me fix the tower…not completely anyway. Once I fix the tower the trees will come to life and the rest of the castle will fade away leaving my mindscape. It's the best part of the castle that each of us keeps with us in our minds. What's yours?" With a small flicker they move to Harry's mind and Harry smirks at Draco's shocked expression.

His grey eyes rake in the lush room that very obviously expressed Harry's inner most personality without showing too much of himself to the world. Draco's mind flickers restlessly to the knowledge of the castle his mother had taught him. He vaguely pinpoint where this room had been located from pictures his father had shared with him. Slowly the world blurs in swirls and they're standing in Draco's mind once more. Harry's fingers brush lightly over the shattered stones and piece by piece, as he walks further toward the castle, the mindscape comes to life and blooms before the bewildered blonde's eyes. "This will not change anything when we are around everyone Dray…you know that don't you?"

"I…why not…I don't want to live in secrets anymore Harry! Why can't we just get over our differences?" At his fiery reply Harry turns to stare at the man before him. A small smile lights up his face before he chuckles and tugs the smaller man into a brotherly hug. The blonde stiffens slightly before relaxing into the hug and eventually hugging back. Harry pulls away from Draco hesitantly and keeps a firm hold on his arms to stare into his eyes.

Emerald eyes meet grey ones and Harry smiles warmly hoping that Draco would follow suit despite his best efforts not to meet Harry's gaze. "Dray…I've been over our differences since the moment my memories were awoken. You are quite literally, just not physically, my brother and nothing will change that however I wish to keep everyone safe from Lemon Drop so that I may unlock their memories. If we start acting like mates after being enemies for so many years it would raise suspicion. You're a vital part of my childhood Dray and it will never change." Draco looks at Harry for a long moment before scoffing standoffishly and pulling away from him only to brush his hands at his outfit plucking unseen dirt from it. His Grey eyes find Harry's confused emerald ones and his lips curve in a small yet sweet smile.

He turns and flicks his locks from his forehead lightly in an attempt to control them. "Yeah? Well that's all well and good but I'll be there no matter what if you need a good kick to remove you from your high horse Potter." They stand still for a few moments each face the same way. "We should leave now Potter breakfast will have already started…and Potter…thank-you." With that said Harry feels himself being pushed from Draco's mind and he returns to his body only to be met with the same picture perfect form of Draco Malfoy.

"I swear you're truly a prat Dray…meet Mione and I at the tower tonight alright?" The blonde nods before brushing past Harry only to stop and glance back at his best friend with bright and cheery eyes. He hurries down the halls and Harry simply remains in the small passage leaning against the wall. He slides down the cold stone until he's sitting on the ground.

Reaching up, Harry removes his glasses and stares down at them. His fingers brush over the delicate glass as his eyes flicker over the knicks from years of use. _'It's been so many years since I've felt hope for having a family again…I wonder what it would be like to live with you. To be able to say that you are my Uncle and that I am not ashamed of where I come from despite the memories of the people around me.'_

_ 'You can still have that my dear Nephew…don't give up on the hope you have because one day we will be reunited and you will sit upon the same throne as your father, and my father have as well as the great men and women of the Potter family before us. You'll be a great man Harry…however you must finish schooling which means you must get to class.' _Harry's body tenses at the familiar presence in his mind and he frowns at the admonished tone his Uncle was using with him before he chuckles and stands to heads toward his first class his quite thoughts running away from him as he glides through the groups less aware of their wide eyes then he should have been.

He arrived in his first class and looked around for Ron. His eyes land on him but he turns to find Hermione waving him over to her. Smiling brightly in her direction he strides toward her and she giggles softly before tweaking his glasses on his face lightly to even them out. Her lovely eyes glimmer back at him and he can't resist the urge to smile. This was his Hermione…the girl he was destined to be with seeing as Luca was his cousin and he most certainly wasn't gay with Nev or Dray.

The professor walks in and they all settle into their seats in a semi-quiet that often unnerved the young Potter male. A slight burn in his scar begins but instead of ignoring it, as he usually would have, he allows it to take over him as he stares at the back of Draco's head. Harry feels his pupils expand and his eyes widening only slightly before he's thrown away from his body and into another's mindscape.

Snows settled heavily all around him coating the small rolling field as well as the peaks of the mountains in the distance. It was white as far as the eye could see and there was nothing more or less than snow. Footprints appear before Harry and he hesitantly follows them not sure whose mind he had accidentally entered. Slowly the footsteps lead him to a high tree that seems much higher than all the rest with fleck of brilliant green in them. Reaching up his figners brush the snow off one branch and he watches in wonder as all the snow seems to melt leaving behind a beautiful and vibrant evergreen. Turning Harry watches once more as the snow quickly recedes across the mindscape revealing the rolling ground of a large evergreen patch on the side of a green mountain. He takes off in a quick sprint following the snow as it crosses the rolling fields brightening it with lovely flowers in all different vibrant shades and plants. Spinning around in the center slowly, Harry feels the presence of someone else enter the mindscape and he turns sharply to stare at Nev.

"Thank-you Harry…you have no idea how amazing it feels to remember my parents. Even what little thing I do see I know that they loved me more than I can fathom. Gran always told me that Bellatrix made them go insane but for some reason I didn't believe her or anyone else for that matter…thanks to you I don't feel so crazy." Harry notices everything wavering and quickly begins casting a charm on Nev to keep his appearance in tact. He's thrust sharply from Nev's mind and notices the worry seeping into the gaze of Hermione. Her eyes trace and retrace him quickly deciding what exactly happened before she pats his hand idly and returns to her work. Harry finds his own hand scribbling away lightly on the paper something he hadn't noticed but was thankful for either way. _'You are growing more adept at using your powers nephew…if you are able to functions while in the minds of others you are truly learning. The kidnapping is all set up tonight…be prepared.'_

The bell rings signaling the end of the class and I gather my things and turn to leave only to be bumped into by Draco who sneers in my direction. "Watch where you're going, Potter!" I sigh and shake my head when I notice the small tilt of his lips before he disappears toward the potions room. Hermione and I wait patiently for Ron as he bumbles around complaining about anything and everything. I'm half surprised that Hermione hasn't lost her patience with him yet.

"Ronald would you stop complaining like a three year old…if you would actually listen in class instead of sleeping you'd do just fine." I suppose I spoke too soon.


End file.
